Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem                                       2-14-14

Psalm 122:6 (NASB) ⁶  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you.

Happy Valentine's Day! Lot's of scripture today. Reading the headlines recently and as always Israel was in the news. This verse floated across my mind today, so I thought I would share some thoughts and scriptures on the subject. We, as readers of God's Word, are instructed to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, with a promise for those who love her,both individually and nationally. It seems that the nation of Israel has been put on the back burner in God's timetable. Paul speaks to this in the book of Romans. In the midst of his treatise on justification by faith, he suddenly stops and devotes three chapters to his brethren Israel.(chap. 9-11) Reading those chapters you will find out that because of Israel's rejection of their Messiah, Jesus, they have been hardened. They as a nation have been blinded to the fact that Jesus is their Messiah. But, they have not been discarded. God throughout history has maintained a believing remnant.

    Isaiah 37:31-32 (NASB) ³¹  "The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward.
³²  "For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant and out of Mount Zion survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."'

God has always provided for Himself a remnant. From the 7000 that did not bow to Baal and throughout history, that remnant has survived. Joshua and Caleb, the various judges and prophets all the way down to the Christian Church (the very first church was Jewish). The Messianic Movement is today, God's believing remnant. Through their darkest hour during WW2, the unbelievable persecution served to bring about the re-establishment of the Nation of Israel. All down through history they have managed to survive and even thrive in the most difficult of environments. Even though they have and still do reject Jesus, God has not forgotten about them and has a definite plan for them.

 Jeremiah 23:6-8 (NASB) ⁶  "In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, 'The LORD our righteousness.'
⁷  "Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when they will no longer say, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,'
⁸  but, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.' Then they will live on their own soil."

This scripture Jeremiah 16:15 (NASB) ¹⁵  but, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.' For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.

These scriptures have been partially fulfilled and are awaiting complete fulfillment in the not too distant future.God is not through with Israel and all the world would do well for themselves to remember that. The Bible minces no words  to those who hate Israel and the Jewish people.

Isaiah 17:13-14 (NASB) ¹³  The nations rumble on like the rumbling of many waters, But He will rebuke them and they will flee far away, And be chased like chaff in the mountains before the wind, Or like whirling dust before a gale.
¹⁴  At evening time, behold, there is terror! Before morning they are no more. Such will be the portion of those who plunder us And the lot of those who pillage us.

Isaiah 8:9-10 (NASB) ⁹  "Be broken, O peoples, and be shattered; And give ear, all remote places of the earth. Gird yourselves, yet be shattered; Gird yourselves, yet be shattered.
¹⁰  "Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; State a proposal, but it will not stand, For God is with us."



All those who gird themselves against Israel; all those who devise plans to plunder and pillage....Beware! Look at the last words in vs. 10. "....For God is with us." That translates IMMANUEL, one of he names we ascribe to the The Lord Jesus Christ.

So, even though Israel languishes in unbelief today God still providentially protects them and is bringing about a day of total restoration in belief. A couple of verses that we as Christians use all the time are actually promises that God has made to Israel for their future.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NASB) ¹¹  ~'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
¹²  ~'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
¹³  ~'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
¹⁴  ~'I will be found by you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.'

Jeremiah 31:33 (NASB) ³³  "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
You see this New Covenant that we have as Christians is actually meant for Israel in the Kingdom. We as Gentiles and the Church are  partakers only because of the Blood of Jesus the Christ.

Ephesians 2:12-13 (NASB) ¹²  remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
¹³  But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

I have written all of this to illustrate one very simple idea. Look at the first word in the above scripture
REMEMBER. It will serve the world and this country IN PARTICULAR to remember God's affection for His people Israel and to PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM.Amen. I believe.

Psalm 59:5 (NASB) ⁵  You, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, Awake to punish all the nations; Do not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity. Selah.


God Bless